The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-10-15
A SINGULAR CASE,
The Annual Effects of a Rattlesnake's
Bite on Little Boy.


Bite on a Little Boy.
On August 90, 1888, five-year-old
son of George Putnam, who lives at
Stony Ford, Tioga County, was return
ing home from driving the COWS to
pasture, and stopped by the roadside
to pick some berries. He was bare
footed, and suddenly felt a sharp sting
on the instep of his left foot. He ran
crying home, and told his mother that
he had scratched his foot on briar.
The foot had begun to swell, and his
mother picked from the flesh what she
at first supposed to be briar, but. as
the foot continued to swell and the
boys sufferings were intense, the
slarming fact was apparent that he
had been bitten by some poisonous
snake, and that the supposed briar was
one of its fangs that had buried itself
in the wound and been pulled from the
snakes Jaw.
Mrs. Putnam called her husband,
who was at work near the house, and
alarmed other members of the family.
A live chicken was cut in two and the
warm flesh applied to the wound.
Whisky was given to the boy in large
quantities, and messenger was dis
patched for DOCTOR
a member of the family went to the
spot where the boy said he felt the
sharp sting and found a rattlesnake
coiled near the roadside The snake
was killed and one of its fangs was
found to be missing, which left no doubt
OF the nature of the boys injury. The
snake was cut open and laid on the
wound in the boys foot, which had
swollen to more than double its natural
size. The sufferings of the boy were so
great that he could scarcely be held
down in the bed by two men. The
doctor arrived aud cauterized the
wound, but said it was too late, and
that the boy would die.
The swelling had extended up the leo
to his waist and the leg became spotted.
Antidotes prescribed by the doctor were
administered, but the whisky treatment
was also adhered to. The boys body
turned black, but after three DAYS of
the most terrible agony the swelling
began to 90 down, and in u week the
victim was able to get about. In a
months time all the effects of the poison
seemed to have disappeared, and the
boy was as well as ever.
On the 29th of August, 1884, he was
seized with sharp pain in his foot,
which began to SWELL and in short
time his leg and foot were swollen to
double their size, and became spotted
as they had on the day the boy was
bitten by the snake. He experienced
the same symptoms and suffered for
three days almost as much agony as he
had the year before, when the swell
ing again went down, the pain sub
sided, and the symptoms disappeared
Regularly on the 29th of August every
year since the same symptoms have APP
peared, on the authority of u we'll
known citizen of Tioga County, and
their recurrence this year was marked
by more than usual pain and swelling,
the spots on the leg and body strikingly
resembling that of a rattlesnake. The
sutferings of the boy were so intense
that he was not expected to pass through
them with his life.
1t is said that there are three similar
cases on record, one of Cir! who was
hittpn nv q rattlpSnaEe in Tivin uStOn
County, New York. thirty years ago.
and who for twenty-five years, on the
anniversary of the day on which she
was bitten, was subject to the same
symptoms as attended the original
poisoning. She died in great agony on
the twenty-tifth recurrence of the
terrible symptoms. - iIIianasport Pa.
Letter.